The place was first inhabited by lonians in the 5th century BC. At that time, the settlement was called Kmuni or Krounoi after the Greek word for springs, due to the abundance of karst springs in the area. Later on it was renamed Dionisopolis after the name of Dionisius, the Greek god of wine and feasts. According to one of the most popular explnations, the town received this name after a statute of Dionisius was dragged there by the sea.

The god’s image appeared also on the the coins minted there. Noteworthy, the town was a rather important centre on the northern Black Sea coast till the beginning of the new era and it was second in significance only to Varna (named Odessos at that time). Later on the town was included in the territory of Bulgaria. Around the 13th - 14th century AC it was moved to a natural fortification, called Dzhina Bair. Following tis rule by the Boyar Balik, it received its present-day name of Balchik. The town flourished and grew into a big corn-trading centre after the Crimean War (1853-1856). Yet after the Balkan War which ended 1913, it was annexed to the territory of Romania. Struck by the natural beauty of the place, The Romanian Queen Maria built a summer palace and a botanical garden there. The royal complex also included a chapel and a villa for Romanian aristocrats. The town turned into a luxurious resort at the time. After 1940 Balchik was again included in Bulgarian territory.

Apart from the palace complex and the botanical garden, which is the biggest and most diverse on the Balkans, the town also appeals to tourists with its ancient spirit, reflected into steep pebbled streets and houses made of stone and adobe. The palace complex consists of a central palace with a high tower, numerous buildings, a terraced park, summer houses made of stone and propped up on marvellous columns facing the sea, a throne under an old tree where Queen Maria loved to watch the sunset, and a small chapel where her heart is preserved. There are more than 3,000 rare and exotic species of plants in the botanic garden, which has made it a part of the teaching facilities of Sofia University. The whole complex was called Tenha Yuva (Quiet Nest). Besides the palace and the botanic garden, the Art Gallery of the town, which houses also the town’s museum, is also an interesting place to visit. There is also a small ethnographic museum and a beautiful old church called St. Nikola Church. A Renessaince complex with the old school, which is quite well preserved, can be other possible destinations of a walk. The coastal alley, which is about 4km long, is also a nice place to stroll, the same way as the harbour and the small streets of thwe town are.

Outside the city, the area of Touzlata is located 4 km east of the town. It is well known for its curative mud, which was the main reason to build a balneological centre there beside two lakes, formed by old landslides. A large recreational complex, a lot of villas, bungalows and a camping site are can be also found there. There is a mineral spring with water temperature of above 30 C degrees. Two big camping sites - Sandrino Camping and Beliyat Bryag Camping are also located near Balchik. They offer various opportunities for rest and water sports, clubs, bars, numerous bungalows for tourists having no camping equipment, small restaurants and snackbars for seafood and continental food. Fifteen kilometres away from rhe town in south-west direction is the village of Obrochishte with a well-preserved fortress dating back to the early Ottoman rule, which travellers of that time used to compare it with the beauty of Baghdad.

The most popular hotels in the town are Dionlsopolis Hotel, Balchik Hotel and Elite Hotel. One can reserve rooms at the palace as well. There are bungalows near the shore in the Tihiya Kut Resort (The Quiet Corner) and many private lodgings offered in the town with their prices depending on the comfort and the distance to the beach or the centre. Not far from the town is the Bisser Camping offering bungalows and space for caravans to park and tents to put up.

The Botanic Garden of Balchik lies in the heart of the town, which in turn is situated 31km north of Varna in a beatiful inlet.

Struck by the natural beauty of the area around Balchik, the Romanian Queen Maria built a summer palace and a botanical garden there. This happened 8 years after the end of World War I in 1918, when Balchik was annexed to the territory of Romania. Besides the high-towered palace and the surrounding garden, the complex also includes a chapel, which still keeps the heart of the queen after her will, a villa, originally meant to host Romanian aristocrats, and a beatiful stone throne under an old tree where Queen Maria loved to watch the sunset.

The picturesque park, called Tenha Vuva in Romanian (Quiet Nest), was designed and arranged in 1924-1936 after the project of a French garden designer, Jules Janine. The queen, nicknamed poetically as Karmen Silva, died in 1938, just 2 years before the area was annexed back to the territory of Bulgaria while the complex was declared a monument of culture.

The complex combines old Bulgarian, Moldavian, Mauritanian and Oriental styles in a marvelous way. The park itself is an imitation of the Famous Cretan labyrinth, with each stone of the church being brought from the very island of Crete. Most people claim that the Garden of Allah is the prettiest, though no doubt, the Silver Well, the alleys paved with millstones and the huge earthen jars, brought from Morocco, are also breathtaking.

More than 3,000 rare and exotic plants, including more than 200 tree species, fabulous flowers and a unique collection of about 250 cactus species (the latter representing Europe's second most important collection) grow currently in the botanic garden. Thus, it is not surprising that the park was included as a part of the teaching facilities of the Sofia University in 1955. Besides students, the complex welcomes more than half a million tourists per summer season.

There is regular bus transport between Balchik and the nearby Dobrich, Varna and the Albena resort. Apart from buses, there are numerous route taxis and private minibuses, taxis and water transport between Balchik and Varna / Albena.